Designing a Color Driven Navigation System for the Peripheral Vision of Drivers

Designing a Color Driven Navigation System for the Peripheral Vision of Drivers

Van Deurzen, K.

Horváth, I. (mentor)
De Smit, B. (mentor)

Industrial Design Engineering

Computer Aided Design Engineering

2011-07-21

This report presents the study of using the peripheral vision of a driver to provide him with wayfinding information, without distracting him from his foveal task. The project used a Design inclusive Research methodology. This means that initial assumptions are formulated based on an explorative study. These assumptions are then evaluated using the concept produced during an embedded design process. The explorative study leads to the assumptions that 1) perception and understanding of a display in the periphery could be achieved. That 2) this understanding could continuously be maintained when not extending too far into the periphery. That 3) the best features of light to be used individually are tone, intensity, shape, size, orientation and spatial location. That 4) change in these features would be more apparent than their static states. And that 5) change blindness may occur when the change between two states is not perceived. Based on the knowledge gained from the explorative research a design phase was conducted. The final concept employs several individual lights which can move around the windscreen, thus employing the near- and middle-periphery. The concept described how the proposed features of light can best communicate the information required for wayfinding. A prototype was made which included the most basic information and was used in a simulated driving scenario. During this study the intensions of the subjects were measured and compared to the intended message. The results look promising; participants were capable of using peripheral perceived information to correctly navigate the appropriate route. Although the majority of the subjects did at times feel the need to focus their gaze on the display, their estimation was that this would reduce with experience. Continuous awareness of the information is not plausible, in situations which require more than average attention from the driver it seems his functional field of vision prevents perception in the middle-peripheral field. The forms in which the proposed features were used were also not ideal. The concept included too much movement, unnecessarily distracting him. Also the change blindness that occurred rendered the functionality of several intensity states useless. Based on these deficiencies an iterative step was finally conducted towards a believable product.

navigation system
peripheral vision
peripheral perception
perception
vision
color
IVIS
wayfinding

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:da2a0e06-f748-497e-9f9f-93bf18bb6e50

Campus only

Student theses

master thesis

(c) 2011 Van Deurzen, K.